Revision as of 18:23, 9 August 2013

Sosua beach

Sosua is located in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic. German Jews settled this little pueblo in the early 1940s. Many streets are named for Ashkenazic Jews.

Sosua is now famous for being a top destination for the single male. The many nightclubs crammed into this small area is ideal for bar-hoppers and party goers. During the day, the Sosua Beach is the ideal destination for those looking to relax, swim, or sober up from a night of drunken debauchery. The residents are very friendly and are always willing to give a hand.

Contents

Get in

Most visitors will fly in to Puerto Plata airport. Upon arrival at the airport you will be greeted by a small band playing colorful music as you make your way to customs/immigration, indications of the fun to come! At your first stop in the airport, you will pay an entrance fee of $10US, where you will purchase a tourist card at one window. At the next window the card will be taken from you by an official. After your tourist card purchase you will pass through immigration where your passport will be stamped. Check the date on the stamp please. It is not always accurate. Don't argue, just keep going. Be advised that there is a departure tax of $20US when taking international flights out of Puerto Plata.

After baggage claim you will be awash in a sea of humanity. Vendors, money changers, taxi drivers. All things at the airport are much more expensive than in town. Don't spend money here; mind your surroundings, note the unique experience and make your way to your driver or hire your taxi for the final chapter in the arrival book.

Puerto Plata International Airport is actually much closer to Sosua than it is to Puerto Plata, at about 7 Km away. The taxi fare from the airport is fixed at $25US per car with little to no room for negotiation when coming from the airport. Some drivers will ask for $20US per person. Walk away from them and look for an honest driver. If you don't have a lot of luggage, during the daytime,you can also walk (which is very safe)1/4 mile outside of the airport and flag down a guagua (public mini-bus) or public taxi for much less (possibly as low as 30-40 pesos) than taking a private taxi from the airport.

Caribe Tours busses get you from Sosua to Santo Domingo in about 5 hours. It stops along the way in all the major cities and towns (about 5 Stops). Buses are comfortable, modern, air conditioned with Movies and Restroom. Cost is about RD$330 pesos (as of September 2012) for a one way ticket. Sosua is the last stop on the Santo Domingo - Sosua route. The Caribe Tours bus station is along the main highway just at the entrance to the Charamicos section of town. Buses currently (09/2012) leave every hour on the :20's, beginning at 5:20 am, from Sosua, and every hour on the hour from Santo Domingo.

Get around

The town is relatively small and walkable. You can also get around using the motoconcho, where you are basically hitching a ride on the back of someone's motorcycle. The price within the El Batey area of Sosua is 25 pesos during the day and 50 pesos at night, though you will certainly be quoted more if you ask them firsthand. Simply tell the driver where you want to go, hop on, and hand the driver the exact fare when you arrive at your destination and walk away. The motoconcho drivers are everywhere and will actively solicit you for a ride. Do not hop a concho while you are inebriated.

The cheapest way to move between Sosua and the surrounding cities and towns of Puerto Plata, Cabarete and Rio San Juan, as well as the tourist resorts in between, is by guagua (Caribbean Spanish slang for bus), which are small mini-vans operating on the main highway between Puerto Plata and Rio San Juan. At peak hours they pass every five or ten minutes. Short distances (i.e., Sosua to Cabarete) should cost no more than twenty pesos to Cabarete, to 30 pesos to Puerto Plata. They will pack in up to twenty-five people per mini-van (this is not an exaggeration!), with passengers almost in each other's laps. Watch your wallet! You may even have someone's cage of roosters deposited on you lap. Then the merengue starts up on the radio and half the passengers pitch in, singing from memory.

Tourist taxis are plentiful but expensive when compared to the other modes of transportation in Sosua. As of March 2009, tourist taxi from Caribe Tours bus station to El Batey run 150 pesos. A taxi from Sosua to Puerto Plata airport will charge $25US for the car. Many taxi drivers will attempt quote $25US per person, so be aware. Note that it is possible to get a ride for as low as $10US, however, you must #1 dress the part #2 speak good spanish. Leave your luggage at your place of stay, and go out dressed like a local (shirtless & sandals) towards the taxi hub. Ask around where for the taxi meeting point . After a few minutes of asking around, a local with a car will eventually ask you where you want to go. Say you want to go to the airport, and that you will pay $10. Most locals will think this is a good price and take you in their private pickup/car. Included in this price is the 1-3 block drive to your place of stay (to pick up your luggage). Give them the money once at the airport. This is a little more difficult to do with legitimate taxis at the taxi hub.

The taxi ride from the airport to almost any point in Sosua is less than 10 minutes. You will pay about $15US from Sosua to Cabarete but this is a complete ripoff when the guagua runs through town and charges 20 pesos (about 0.60 US at the time of this writing) per person. Guaguas and publicos run through the main roads. You have to flag them down so they will stop for you.

Car rentals may be had locally. There are many reputable companies in town. Shop around, and tell them you are doing so. You can, and should, negotiate the rate. The longer you rent the better the price. There are all types of cars, from compact to Hummer. If you rent in town from a local company you will be required to surrender your passport. It should be safe, but in the event of an accident do not count on your insurance or credit card company to bail you out. You will be required to pay the damages in full, in cash before your passport is returned. If you try to get around the process of paying you may find yourself dealing with the local police or judge, which may end up costing you more, and is not recommended. If you prefer to deal with the more reputable International chains simply stop by the Puerto Plata airport. An economy car may be rented for $30 per day. Check with your credit card company first to see what coverage they provide because this price is not inclusive of insurance. Local insurance is expensive so most simply rely on the coverage provided by their credit card. Remember, insurance is extremely important since drivers in this country are to be considered crazy to insane.

You may also simply take gua gua's are the carro publico's along the main road which are affordable and overcrowded. For instance a taxi between Sosua and Cabarete from the official stop will cost upwards of $20 while a gua gua will cost about $1.50. Similarly you can get to the airport for $30 from a taxi at one of the stops which has set fares or take the carro publico for less than $2. (The prices quoted here, for both taxis and public transportation, are grossly inflated even for gringo tourist standards. $20 to Cabarete and $30 to the airport?)

Propinas

Before you venture out on your own, or even with a group of people, be aware of men or boys who are looking to help you find what you need. While walking you will be approached with offers of help with changing your money, finding a restaurant or finding a nice bar or gift shop. On the beach you will be offered assistance with getting a lounge chair or having a drink or food from one of the many beach stalls fetched for you.

In the vast majority of cases these folks are harmless and can be a wealth of information. If you decide to use their services you will be charged a small fee above the asking rate for any item you purchase, eat or drink, and that fee will be passed to your helper after services are rendered. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Sosuans are accomplished capitalists and they also are a lot less well off than you! If you already know exactly what you want and a "tag-along" Sosuan is starting a conversation with you while you are walking along, be firm in telling him that you need no help! If you are first timer offer the propina man a small fee up front for an hour or for the day and he will become a wealth of information for you.

Do NOT, under any circumstances, use a propina man for money changing. Money changing operations are well signed and easy to find.

See

Playa Sosua is the town's main beach. It is a fun, colorful and lively beach which is approximately one kilometer long, with a row of shacks along the back, selling food, drinks and souvenirs. At one end of the beach is the El Batey neighborhood, which was founded by a community of about 600 Jews exiled here from Eastern Europe during WWII. It contains the small synogogue, still occasionally used by Jews from the surrounding communities, as well as a small museum documenting the history of the Jewish community in Sosua, both set in a tidy tropical green lawn adjacent to Casa Marina Resort. The synogogue has services on Friday evenings about once per month - check with the museum whether there are services the week you are there. Batey no longer has an active Jewish community and is currently the tourist section of town, containing several all-inclusive resorts, as well as a number of smaller hotels and guest houses.

At the other end of the beach is Los Charamicos, which is the local's neighborhood and somewhat more run-down and lively than Batey. For an authentic cockfighting experience go to Club Gallistico, in Charamicos. It is along one of the main streets but you will have to ask for directions. Cockfights are on Saturday afternoons and sometimes on other days of the week. It is best not to venture alone into the alleyways of Charamicos as they are unsafe. The main streets should be OK.

The beach is very popular and offers the best local option for the snorkeling enthusiast - snorkelers should swim out to the reef that lies about 100m from the shore. A beach chair rental should cost about RD$60. Refuse to pay any more. Equipment can also be rented there. There are lots of gift shops where you will be quoted absolutely laughable prices. (60 dollars for T-shirts, 50 dollar tote bags 150-200 dollars for some cheap Haitian paintings.) Your bargaining skills will be needed. Tip: whatever they ask you, cut it at least in half, e.g., RD$500 pesos, you tell them RD$250.00 and start the process. You can probably even start at way below RD$250. You will come out ahead this way. My experience is that the target price for which the kiosk will ultimately settle is about half or slightly below half of the original asking price, but sometimes somewhat below that.

There are two other beaches in town. Playa Alicia is accessible from the On the Waterfront restaurant. This beach is quieter and more sterile than Playa Sosua, and is thus a good option for those who want to trade a bit of local color for a more relaxed experience. The town's third and smallest beach is accessible from the Sosua by the Sea hotel.

Do

As in the other towns on the North Coast, tour operators offer numerous excursions to surrounding sites and nearby adventure activities at reasonable prices. These include whale watching (December to March), jeep tours, waterfalls and swimming holes, deep sea fishing, whitewater rafting, snorkeling, mountain biking, horseback riding, interesting beaches, as well as tours of Puerta Plata, Santiago, Santo Domingo and the border area of Haiti. Check with a tour operator near your hotel for available excursions. It is interesting that the range of tour options and the trips themselves are almost identical among the various tour operators.

Merlin Dive Center, (at the entrace to Playa Sosua), [1]. Offers all of the standard diving fare, including snorkeling, beginner dives, advanced dives, etc. They are a highly professional outfit who will take you for pleasure dives or you can get qualified with them for a very reasonable price compared to the UK.

27 Charcos / 27 Waterfalls, (20 minutes West of Puerto Plata, 40-minutes by car from Sosua), [2]. A must experience attraction for anyone. Some of the most beautiful, natural spring-fed waterfalls in the world. Ride and jump down, relax in, and enjoy this incredible place on Earth. There are qualified guides that walk you, and swim you through the entire place. Guides are NOT paid by the company that runs the operation, and are required for safety. Make sure to tip them after you finish. Suggest 200 peso tip per person (about $5 U.S. Aug 2012). You will be given and must wear a helmut and life vest. Do NOT rent a camera from the company. The cameras are old and take terrible photos, and cost 1000 pesos. They will not return your money when you finish and find out the camera is a piece of junk that takes blurry photos.Price: 280 pesos Waterfalls 1-7, 340 pesos for Waterfalls 1-12, or 500 pesos for all 27 Waterfalls (as of August 2012).

Buy

Most of the souvenir shops sell the same ubiquitous Latin American fare. Sosua also has a large number of Haitian paintings for sale. Many of these oil paintings are the same in each shop. Occasionally some good quality artwork can be found.

Cigars of course are popular but prices vary. Never buy cigars at souvenir stores or stands on the beach or the beach vendors. These are always fakes! Cuban cigars may be purchased but beware that many of the Cuban name brands also have Dominican manufacture, though the quality is said to rival that of Cuban ones.

Authentic leather goods are not available in any tourist oriented shop or beach shack in Sosua. Imitation leather is the rule of the day. Authentic leather goods are better found in Santo Domingo.

If you head away from the beach to the main road there is a large supermarket where the prices are a lot cheaper.

Superior Dive Sosua (Beach Level Sosua Bay Hotel), Alejo Martinez #1, ☎809-571-1108, [3]. 8am-5pm. Superior Dive Sosua is the only dive shop on Sosua Bay. They offer PADI dive instruction from beginning to professional. Run by Americans so it is english friendly. Snorkel and dive trips are offered daily.

Dominican Guides, [4]. 8am-9pm. Local Dominican Guides provide tours throughout the island and customize packages for indivduals and groups. Dominican Guides specializes in Introduction "Love" tours for thos looking for the perfect mate. Legal and Consulting Services available along with Discount Vacation and Car Rentals

Hackman Woodturning, ☎1-829-906-2303, [5]. Provides a welcome change to the normal low quality products for tourists. These bowls, platters and boxes etc are hand turned from local hardwoods and commissions are undertaken if you have specific requirements

Eat

Sosua has a large number of restaurants and you can find authentic German Food, Italian Food, English fare, and of course, if you look for it, traditional Dominican cooking. Many Dominicans can cook food rivaling NYC restaurants on not much more than a hot plate and an open flame. Service time varies in between restaurants and in between different nights. Often the same restaurant will be very slow one night (coincidentally when the boss in not around) and excellent the next.

Baileys, Calle Alejo Martinez (In the middle of Sosua, Literally.), ☎809-571-3085, [6]. 8:30am-?. A restaurant with everything, from local to U.S., German, Italian, and other cuisines. Very spacious. A great place for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The staff is fluent in many languages, and courteous. This is a real taste of home, no matter where you are from. Large portions, great drinks. Wifi is available without a password. Same as a mid-range U.S. Restaurant / Touristy.Tourist Prices.

Big D's BBQ on the beach. Derrick, the owner, is a celebrity chef in the USA. Good BBQ. Prices are fairly inexpensive, especially given the high quality of the food. #109 on Sosua Beach.

Britannia Pub, 13 Pedro Clisante, [7]. A great place for a few drinks and a delicious meal. Breakfast is of large portion and don't forget their famous fish and chips. Take heed of the specials which tend to be excellent. They also serve the coldest Presidente in Sosua and have one of the best happy hours in town. Wifi is available.

El Choco. German food located just outside of town on the main road.

El Toro. A German run establishment on the far end of Pedro Clisante offering (arguably) the best steak in town.

Josef's Bar and Grill, (located at the back of the Sosua-by-the-Sea Hotel property, although open to the public)). Th-Sa, 7PM until late. Located amidst perhaps the most impressive setting of any of Sosua's restaurants, this establishment has four tables set on a spit of land with waves crashing literally feet away. The food is prepared creatively with excellent presentation and an interesting mix of flavors. Note that there is a hotel restaurant located adjacent to this one, so be sure to make it clear that you want to eat at Josef's, otherwise the menu and vista will be significantly less impressive. One helpful tip: while the setting is romantic and inspiring, on nights when the sea is rough consider avoiding the last table located closest to the water.$15 - $40 per person.

Morua Mai, (right across from P.J.'s), [8]. Great for fine dining, one of the top 3 restaurants in Sosua.

On the Waterfront. An upscale restaurant which has excellent food on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The open-air setting is ideal for watching sunsets or romantic evenings. Happy hour is from 5-7PM.$20 - $45 per person.

P.J.'s. Sosua's version of a diner, large menu with adequate food, but nothing to rave about. 24 hour service is available during the high season.

Pica Pollo. The fried chicken at lunch is not to be missed and is quite affordable. Shouldn't cost more than 4 US-Dollars. Best served with fritos (fried bananas - taste like french fries) or aroz y habichuelas (rice and beans).

Rocky's. Provides a kind of hostel atmosphere with good food and very affordable prices, if you are unfamiliar with Sosua this is a good place to start. Try the ribs at Rocky's, served beginning at 5:00pm, and be patient. Enjoy a beer or two and strike up a conversation with a fellow tourist or expatriate while you wait. Rocky's breakfasts are large and satisfying, and every table is appointed with a fresh pot of coffee for you to enjoy. Wifi is available and computers are situated in the restaurant for you to check your email or surf the internet for a very small fee.

Tick Tack. Most restaurants open at 8AM, but for those looking for food at an earlier hour this German-run internet cafe has good coffee and an affordable plate of scrambled eggs.

Jolly Roger Bar & Grill, 11 Pedro Clisante, [9]. Offers drinks, food, and a lively atmosphere. There is Bingo every Tuesday at 2pm, Darts on Friday nights, Thieves Market every other Saturday where you can find some great deals, and a Guest Chef night on Sundays for RD$ 250. They also have a good happy hour. Wifi is available.

Drink

Presidentes both grande and pequena, once virtually the sole choice besides rum drinks (due to the policy of the beer company providing refrigerators on loan) and Bohemia, are now being challenged by Brahma, another locally brewed beer (of Brazilian origin) as well as Quilmes (an Argentinian beer). Several of the bars now stock European and American beers at a premium price. Brugal, the local rum with its company headquarters on the eastern outskirts of Puerto Plata, will be placed in your rum drinks unless you have the savy to ask for the Barcelo (another local rum which is of far superior quality.) Mixed drinks tend to be rum based and cost more than beer but "when in Rome." Many of the restaurants and bars have a happy hour from 4-7PM which is often 2-1 drinks.

On the beach, there is an endless array of restaurants (along with the souvenir shops stuffed with the same goods)which serve drinks and each small swath of beach has a different person who provides concierge service for a modest fee ($0.30 USD per drink). As one leaves the beach there are a number of expatriate bars and restaurants clustered towards the end of Pedro Clisante closest to the beach. The Checkpoint Pub is popular during the Day. The Brittania restaurant has an excellent Happy Hour and Rudy's has a weekly Karaoke night. There is a substantive international community who frequents these establishments which lends a cosmopolitan feel to this end of Town. As one heads away from this expatriate area, Pedro Clisante is dominated by discos and bars which are companionship friendly. This end of town rather than being reminiscent of San Sebastian in Spain harkens to the nightlife of Manila. The Club Classico is the fountainhead of Sosua nightlife with the burgeoning Sosua Life just a few blocks away (I just got back from Sosua June-2013 and Classico was effectively replaced by D'Latina, an outdoor bar across the street. I guess the locals preferred free admission over an indoor club with air conditioning). There are also a number of Casinos in and around the town if you are interested in trying your luck. Sosua is a friendly Town, prices and ambiance vary greatly within the Town.

Casanova's. Excellent food and beautiful setting as a beach front restaurant. Service is excellent, located in Cabarete beach.

Gaudi Tapas Bar, Pedro Clisante #12. Spanish restaurant serving a wide variety of tapas, drinks and fine food. Located in the Village Square plaza where years ago operated the famous Casablanca bar.

Sleep

For additional nearby options see Cabarete and Puerto Plata. Budget hotels will cost around $35 per night, while the all-inclusive resorts can range in price up to several hundred dollars per night.

Budget

Rocky's. Both hotel rooms and condos have A/C, but the condos are the best. They're like a small apartment complete with stove/oven, full size refrigerator, cable TV and WiFi. His Hotel has WiFi also.Hotel rooms are $27 per night and condominiums are $45 per night..

Mid-range

Casa Cayena. Quiet$60-$80, depending on the season.

Hotel El Colibri, Calle Pedro Clisante 141 El Batey, ☎809 571 1847 ([email protected], fax: 809 571 4115), [13]. Hotel El Colibri is the place to be if you want to enjoy the Dominican lifestyle and if you want to explore the beautiful countryside. El Colibri is well known for the hospitality and personal attention given by its Dutch host/ess and the Dominican staff. One of the few hotels in the town that is still very family friendly. Monique and Steven, the owners, take great care in maintaining the property and ensuring guest comfort. English, Dutch and Spanish are all spoken by staff.$40-$60 depending on the season.

New Garden (formerly Garden Keti), [14]. Among the best of the smaller and more inexpensive hotels. A new wing has recently been added with rooms that include a jacuzzi. For security, there is an armed guard at night. It is walking distance to many bars and nightclubs. Reservations and questions go to http://www.newgardenhotel.net$55-$95.

Tropix Hotel, 7 Camino Llibre, El Batey, ☎(809) 571-2291, [15]. checkin: 12:00 pm; checkout: 1:00pm. Tropix is super friendly and casual, and just a 5 minute walk to the center of town, 10 to the beach, but nicely hidden away in beautiful gardens surrounding a pool. The accommodations are simple, clean and cheerful. It was one of the first hotel/guesthouses in Sosua and has a lot of repeat guests who've been coming for years. Wi-Fi and a great breakfast!$30-$50.

Splurge

Casa Marina Beach Resort, ☎809 571-3535 ([email protected], fax: 809 571-3104), [16]. The biggest all-inclusive in town, located next to Playa Alicia. If you search online you can sometimes find deep-discount packages as cheap as $500 to $1,000 for a full week.

Piergiorgio Palace Hotel, ☎809-571-2626 (piergior[email protected], fax: 809-571-2786), [17]. This large, colonial-style hotel is located on a cliff above the water, and offers a massive and impressive lobby, clean and functional rooms, and plenty of secluded cliffside grottos for romantic moments or quiet contemplation. There is a bar and restaurant onsite with friendly and attentive staff, and while the food isn't bad it is pricier than comparable meals in town. A large breakfast buffet is included in the room rate.$95-$125 for standard rooms, suites $250+.

Sosua Bay Resort, ☎809 571-4000 ([email protected], fax: 809 571-4545), [18]. Located next to Playa Sosua, this all-inclusive resort offers two lodging options: the more modern Sosua Bay Hotel, and the more colonial Victorian House.

Sosua-by-the-Sea. The most inexpensive all-inclusive, with walk-in prices for under $100 per night in the off season.

Stay safe

Be prepared for the heat. The Dominican Republic is sub-tropical and warm all year. Expect a little sweat on your brow.

Get out

The nearest towns are Puerto Plata to the west and Cabarete to the east. Further eastward it is possible to see Dominican Republic without the expatriate crowd. Note that as you leave the civilization of Puerto Plata, Sosua and Cabarete European style restaurants and supermarkets become rare as to other first world conveniences such as the internet cafes which abound on every third corner in Sosua. One other small point to make if your leave the tourist areas is that normal basics we take for granted are probably not going to be available when needed. My advice is to take sanitary products with you such as toilet paper and hand wipes as many public bathrooms (if available) will, in all probability, not have toilet paper or a sink with functioning taps.

If you are looking for a less trammeled vacation experience, drive out to Samana (4 hours) or consider staying in Las Canas (www.playalascanas.com) which is just 35 minutes to the East but feels like it is a million miles from civilization. Private villa rentals are available with a beach that you can walk on for hours without seeing anybody.

Cabarete - Located ten minutes to the east, this town offers a massive number of resorts and some of the best kite surfing and wind surfing in the Caribbean.

Puerto Plata - Located fifteen minutes to the west, this town is the area's largest.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!